Toe protector



May 28, 1935. A, w, HAUER 2,002,662

TOE PROTECTOR Filed April 30, 1934 l'rzveni'or drf/zur Z/[jiauer Patented May 28, 1935 i Q [UNITED- STATES PATENTTIOFFICE TOE momma 7 Arthur W. Hauer, Cicero, n1. Application April 30, 193 1,:SerialNo. 723,073

' 5 Claims. (01. 33-72)- invention relates to toe protectors, or guard-I to the inside of thesamewhere they are guards, for shoes and particularly to rigid toe again turned at right angles downwardly as guards adapted tobe removably secured to a shoe shown in Fig. 2. Thus when the bale 6, which over the toe portion thereof. V 1 is arranged to swing forwardly and downwardly ,5 The main objects of this invention are to protoward the forward tip of the shoe, is thusacv5 vide a rigid cap arranged to be secured .over the tuated, the prongs 5. which operate through a toe portion of a shoe to prevent the same from small slot or opening 8 in the flange 4 are lifted being crushed aseby heavy bodies-or falling obor swung upwardly so as to be disengagedfrom jects; and to provide such a device having simple the sole 3; and conversely when the bale 6 is 10 means for removablysecuring the same in posiswung to .a substantially vertical position, the 10;

tion on a shoe. prongs. 5 are projected downwardly. so. as to A specific embodiment of .this' invention is penetrate into the marginal surface of the sole shown in; the accompanying drawing in which: 3 and thus lock the protector in place.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the toe. protector It may be noted that one of the pivot bearing 15. as appliedto a, shoe, the shoe being shown in apertures or holes I is elongated horizontally, as 15,

dotted outline. shown inFig. 1, to facilitate assemblage of the Fig. 2 is a sectionalview as taken on the line bale} on the cap I when the baleis in its down 2-2 of Fig. 1. position and pulled forward. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a toe protector show- As shown in Fig. 1 the top surface of the proing a modified form of locking means. tector I is formed with a pair of small ribs or 20 Fig.4is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view ridges 9-9 which provide a means for looking as taken on the line 44 of Fig. 3. the bale 6 in an upright position, the bale being In the form shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the sprung over the forward ridge so as to be held drawing, my improved toe protector comprises a in the space between the two ridges 9. Thus it metal cap I shaped to fit over the toe portion will be seen that when the toe protector or cap I of a shoe 2 and having an open side I.I into which has been slidably positioned over the toe of a the shoe extends. The lower edge of the cap or shoe and the prongs 5 projected into the surface guard I is preferably arranged to rest against the of the sole margin by moving the bale 6 to its upmargin of the shoe so1e 3 and is provided with ri ht p s t t t p t t will be firmly an inwardly turned flange 4 arranged to fit into held against both vertical and horizontal move- 30 the angular space between the shoe upper and ment, so that the protector or guard I cannot inthe sole adjacent the seam line where the two advertently be lost from the shoe. are sewed together. By thus engaging the shoe A modification of the locking means for securupper at the point where it is turned under and ing the toe protector I against horizontal movesewed to the shoe sole, the cap or guard I is held ment on the shoe is shown in Figs. 3 and 4. In 35 against vertical movement away from the shoe this form the bale has been eliminated, each sole. prong 5' being carried on an arm I0 pivotally The toe guard I is applied to the shoe by sliding secured at III on the inner side of the toe proit over the toe portion of the shoe in a direction tector side walls and having a handle portion II 40 parallel to the plane of the shoe sole, the toe porp ojec ugh an arcuate aperture I2 in the 40 tion of the shoe entering the cap through the open side of the toe guard, by means of which handle side I.I. Thus the flange 4 which engages the the arm I0 can be shifted so as to swing the shoe upper is slidably moved into engaging posiprong 5 upwardly away from the sole, or downtion between the upper and the sole so as to wardly to penetrate into the sole as the case firmly hold the protector orguard I on the shoe. may be. 45

The protector or guard I is held in place and The resilient handle II is preferably provided locked to the sole by means of a pair of pointed with a small aperture I3 arranged to be engaged prongs 5 which are disposed on the inner side of by projections I4 formed in the side wall of the the protector cap I and pivoted on a horizontal toe guard I so that the arm ID will be held resilaxis so as to be swingable each in a vertical plane. iently in a proper position against inadvertment 50 As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, these prongs comprise movement. The handle II is bent inwardly the ends of a leverage bale 6 disposed on the outagainst the toe guard so that it must be sprung side of the protector I, the endscomprising the over the projections I3 when being moved thus prongs 5 being turned at right angles to pass assuring that the projections will engage the each through an aperture 'l in the sidewall of the aperture I2. 55

As shown in Fig. 2 the toe protector l is provided with a lining I5, preferably of felt, which is for the purpose of protecting the surface of the shoe from being marred by the protector and to provide a cushion. This lining, however, is optional and is only a preferential detail of construction.

It is understood that in the manufacture of most shoes, the shoe upper is first sewed to a welt (a detail not here shown) and the welt is then sewed. to theshoe sole; and in such case the flange 4 of the toe guard will engage between the welt and the shoe upper where they are sewed together and the prongs 5 will be projectedinto the welt when the toe guard is locked in position over the toe portion of the shoe. r g

The Welt feature of the shoe hasnot been illustrated since it is a well known shoe construction and does not alter the operationor function of the hereindescribed improved toe guard.

- -A cam may be-used-in place of a lever to lock the protector in place;

-It-is to beunderstood thatsome of the details set forth-maybe altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of the invention as definedby the following claims: 1' claim-: s r

l.- toe protector for shoes comprising a rigid cap shaped-to fit-over and enclose the toe portion of a shoe, an inwardly projecting marginal flange on said cap arranged to engage said shoe adjacent the line of fastening between the upper and sole thereof, and a shiftable prong mounted on said cap and arranged to be projected into the margin of the shoe sole to lock said cap against shifting thereupon.

3. A toe protector for shoes comprising a rigid cap shaped to fit over the toe portion of a shoe, means on said cap arranged to engage the upper of said shoe adjacent the linegof fastening between said upper and the shoe sole, and a vertically swingable prong pivotally mounted on said cap and arranged to be projected downwardly into the margin of the shoe sole to lock said cap against shifting thereupon.

4. A toe protector for shoes comprising a substantially rigid cap shaped tofit over the toe portion iof-a shoe, means on said cap arranged to engage the upper of said shoe adjacent the line of fastening between said upper and the-shoe sole, and a bale extending over the top of said cap and having its ends pivoted in apertures in the sides of said cap adjacent its bottom margin, the ends of said bale beingbentat right angles on the inside of said cap-and said-bale being swingable on said cap .to project said ends into the marginal surface of said shoe sole 5. A toe protector for shoes comprising a rigid cap shaped to fit over andenclose the toe portion of a shoe, an inwardly projecting marginal flange'on said cap arranged to fit in the corner between the sole and theupper and engage: the upper, and means mounted on said cap to engage the margin of the shoe sole to lock said cap on the shoe.

ARTHUR W. HAUER. 

